ABOUT

I was born in Williamsburg, Virginia, to a military family and spent much of my childhood moving throughout Kentucky. In 1976, my family relocated to be closer to extended family, beginning years of economic hardship. We lived in rural Nelson County without reliable drinking water, requiring my sister and me to collect water weekly from a local spring. Later moves to Oldham County and ultimately Meade County were driven by rising costs and financial instability. These early years gave me a firsthand understanding of poverty, resilience, and self-reliance.

In 1985, my family arrived in Meade County under especially difficult circumstances. My father, a retired soldier, was legally blind and denied disability benefits, while my mother worked civil service at Fort Knox without opportunity for advancement. With mortgage interest rates being around 11% and my parents trying to sustain two mortgages due to inability to sell our old home, we lived for months without electricity in a single wide trailer, struggling to meet basic needs. Education beyond high school was discussed but didn’t seem realistic, not from lack of ambition, but from limited access to resources. Despite these challenges, I graduated high school at age sixteen in December 1987.

As a young adult, I briefly lived outside Kentucky before realizing that home and responsibility was here. I returned to Meade County in 1993, enrolled at the University of Louisville, and worked to support myself. I later became a mother of two daughters and found the strength to leave an abusive marriage. Following my divorce in 2005, I raised my children as a single parent, committed to providing them with stability, education, and opportunity. After my children graduated high school I returned permanently to Meade County in 2018. That decision marked a turning point. Here, I found stability, purpose, and a renewed commitment to my community.

Today, my daughters are grown and college-educated with my oldest pursuing a career as a nurse anesthetist and the youngest preparing to launch a business in Meade County. I am engaged to Chris Chapman, a hard-working farmer. We regularly attend Ekron Baptist Church and participate in many community activities. I’m settled and deeply aware of the challenges facing working families across Meade and Hardin Counties.

Many years of experience in restaurant management and human services taught me to be organized, flexible, and understanding. I exemplified outstanding leadership qualities and received numerous accolades for my ability to overcome challenges within the industry. Currently, I am a proud small business owner and a real estate investor.

My life has been shaped by hardship, perseverance, and personal responsibility. These experiences drive my desire to serve as State Representativeadvocating for practical, community-centered policies that expand opportunity, strengthen families, and ensure every neighbor has a fair chance to succeed without big government overreach.